Indexing-machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

s N. WEBB.

I INDEXING MACHINE. No. 579,202. Patented Mar. 23, 1897..

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S. N. WEBB. INDEXING MACHINE.

No. 579,202. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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s. N. WEBB. INDEXING MACHINE.

No. 579,202. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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TATES SMITH N. WEBB, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

INDEXING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,202, dated March 23, 1897. Application filed October 1'7, 1895. Serial No. 565,941; (No model!) To whom, it may concern.

Be it known that LSMITH N. YVEBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit,

county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Indexing-Machines; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to indexing-ma chines, and has for its object an improved machine intended to be employed in indexing books the contents of which are arranged in alphabetical order or under regular heads. The indexing-characters are printed by this machine on the margins of the pages, each character being printed on the margin of the page which will be most convenient to the user, and the margin of a number of pages adjacent to the printed page being nicked or gouged out, so as to present, when the book is closed, a clear view of the indeXing-character at the bottom of the cavity produced by notching the leaves, and the book can be so grasped by the user that it can be openeddirectly at the indexed page.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, some parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism employed to rotate the printing-cylinder.

In all the figures some of the parts that are behind overlying parts are indicated-by dotted lines.

For brevity of description that part of the.

ranged to slide over it between the back and front sides is aback-support 3*, and from the back 3 a support 3 extends through a slot with a runner-nut 3 in the surface of the table and is provided The back-support 3 can thus be adjusted to the desired position across the table. Above the table is a presser-foot 7, supported at the upper ends of links 7, that reach downward to a tie-bar or yoke. The presser-plat-e 7 lies between the side plates A A of the main frame and is provided at each end with a neck-piece which extends through an elongated slot in the side pieces. The tie-bar 7 also extends through slots in theside pieces and reaches from one link 7 to the other. Near the middle of the tie-bar is another link 7, that reaches to a foot-lever 7, pinned to the frame near its bottom part.

The presser-plate is normally lifted by a counterweight 7 hung on a lever 7 that is f ulcrumed on a rod 7 and pinned to the cross tie 7 The counterweight lifts the presserplate to position. The book to be treated, as hereinafter described, can be placed on the table with its back against the support 3 and with the front margins disposed in a plane parallel to the back-support.

On a counter-shaft 6, that lies across the frame parallel with the shaft 2, are two crankwheels 6 6, and from the wheels extends a pitman 6 to the cutting and printing cylinder. This cutting and printing cylinder is a rotary frame provided with projecting racks of knives and printing arms of type. v The knives are in the form or shape of gouges or half-round chisels (indicated at 4, Where two racks of knives are seen) and they are disposed across the frame at graded heights, so as to'cut to a proper depth into the edge of the book. Each gouge is provided with its own individual means for regulating and ad justing the depth to which it will be driven. The means shown can be described as follows:

On the shaft 4*, near the ends, but inside the frame A and inside the sliding blocks B B, in which the ends of the shaft 4 are jour naled, are two collars 4, to the rims of which are seen red cross-bars 4E 4:,4 indicating cross-' bars which hold the cutting gonges and M the cross bars which hold the printing type. Along the bar i across the machine, is a row of holes extending in a direction radially from the center line of the shaft 49. Each hole is adapted to receive at its outer end the shank of a gouge and at its inner end is threaded to engage an adjusting-screw 45. The shank of the gouge fits snugly into the bore and is held by a set-screw 4 The inner end of the shank butts against the end of the screw 4, and the position of this screw regulates the depth of out. On the bar 4 are the type-arms arranged to reach as far downward as the cut of the knife and to print on the face of the leaf just below those that have been gouged. The shaft 4 is reciprocated vertically by the rotation of the crank-wheels 6, and these are actuated from the main shaft 2 by means of spur-gears 2 2. At each vertical reciprocation of the shaft 4: it receives a rotary movement by means of mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In the end collar of 4 on the outside are out four radial ribs 8.

Through one of the sliding blocks projects a pin 8, normally held by spring-pressure against the end of the printing cylinder, which is provided with a number of holes I) b b Z7 The holes are properly disposed with respect to the pin 8 so as to allow the pin 8 to engage in one of the holes during each downstroke of the cylinder, both when cutting and when printing, and the pin serves to lock the cylinder in place against improper revolution. The outer end of the pin 8" extends to the outside of the main frame and engages a bell-crank lever 8, fulcrumed on a sleeve of the shaft 4 One end of the bellcrank lever 8 engages with the pin S, and the otherend 8 extending out from the frame A, engages with the end of a bracket 8 During the downstroke of the cylinder the branch 8 of the bell-crank lever engages the bracket 8, and the branch 8 is thrown back from its engagement with the outer end of the pin 8 leaving that pin to be pressed inward by its spring While the branch 8 passes behind and below the bracket; but the engagement between the end 8 of the lever and the bracket, during the upstroke, throws the upper end of the lever outward and pulls the pin out of engagement with the cylinder. This action is properly timed with reference to the action of the mechanism for rotating the cylinder, which is described as follows:

On the main frame is pinned a hanger 9. The extreme lower end of the hanger projects inward toward the head of the cylinder and is adapted to engage successively with the ribs 8. It engages with each rib on both the down and on the up stroke of the cylinder. On the downstroke of the cylinder the hanger swings away from the head and produces no actuating effect thereon. On the upstroke the hanger retains its position and causes the cylinder to revolve on its axis one-fourth of a revolution. The approach from above to the extreme lower and inner corner of the hanger is oblique, so that the hanger does not act to stop the cylinder. On the upstroke the lower face of the hanger engages bluntly with the rib, and the one part not being able to slip on the other the cylinder is forced to turn on its axis. The lower end of the hanger is held inward by the strain of a spring.

Above the cylinder, extending across from one side of the frame to the other, is an inkpad 10, loose on posts 10 10, on each of which there is above the back piece of the pad a spring 10 10.

The machine shown in the drawings is intended to gouge and print two alphabets in the same book and is arranged to be thrown into gear-that is, the main driving-wheel l is brought into driving connection with the cutting and printing cylinder after the book has been placed on the table under the press. After it has been thrown into gear it remains incondition to cut and print until there has been one complete revolution of the gouging and printing cylinder, and is then thrown automatically out of gear and remains out of gear.

On a stud 5 is mounted a gear-wheel 5 meshing with the pinion 6 on the shaft 6. The gear 5 has four times as many teeth as the pinion 6 and is provided 011 one face with a pin 5.

The gear 2* is carried on the sleeve on the shaft 2, and that end of this sleeve which lies toward the driving-wheel is provided with a jaw-clutch face. The other part 2 of the clutch slides on the shaft 2, to which it is held by a feather-key. The sliding part is reciprocated by means of a lever hung to the bracket A by a pin and controlled on the one side by a link 2, hand-lever 2 and spring 2, and on the other side by a link 2 The links 2 and 2 are mounted between the fulcrnm-piece of the lever and the point of engagement of the lever and the sliding part of the clutch and pull the movable part of the clutch either into engagement with the fixed part or throw it out of engagement. The clutch-contact is always made by the attendant. It is broken automatically at every complete revolution of the printing-cylinder. To effect the automatic break, the link 2 is provided with a notch, into which engages the upper end of a swinging hanger 5, when the two parts of the clutch are in engagement. The hanger 5' swings on a pin 5, and the lower end being heavier than the upper end tends to hold the hanger in a perpendicular position, or with its upper end bearing against the side of the link 2 Vhenever the link has not been lifted far enough to permit the upper end of the hanger to drop into the notch when the link is shifted to this extent, the hanger engages in the notch, and the link is prevented from being drawn back by the spring, and the parts of the clutch are held in contact, and a movement of the driving-wheel 1 actuates the printing-cylinder. As the wheels continue to revolve the pin 5 is finally brought into contact with the hanger and the hanger forced out of the notch. This allows the spring to shift the link, lever, and movable clutch, and immediately the cutting and printing cylinder will cease to act, although the heavy drivingwheel will continue to revolve for some time, and may even be kept in constant revolution.

Care should be taken to make the clutch contact at a time when the pin 5 has just passed underv the end of the hanger.

The presser-plate is brought down by the foot-lever 7, and the foot-plate end of this lever is held down by a bell-crank-hanger latch 17 which is suspended from a pin on the main frame. A link 17 connects the end of the bell-crank hanger to a parallel bar 17 and a hand-grip is provided near the upper end of the link, so that the hanger may be actuated to release the foot-lever by the hand of the operator.

The link 7, that rises from the foot-lever 7, passes through the tie-bar 7 and is provided above the tie-bar with a bu tier-spring 7 which compensates for any slight diiference there may be in'the books to be treated.

This machine is intended to be used when it is desired to index a large number of books of the same size and thickness, for example, a large number of directories or dictionaries, where the number of times the work is to be repeated will warrant the expenditure of time required to make the primary adjustment of the machine.

That I claim is- 1. In an indexing-machine, the combination of a cylinder provided with gouges and printing-type, and adapted to both rotate and reciprocate, an ink-pad adapted to contact the printing-type, a book-supporting table, and back-support adjustable on said booksupporting table, a presser-plate, means for reciprocating the cylinder, means adapted to rotate the cylinder during one part of its reciprocation, substantially as described.

2; In an indexing-machine, the combination of a book-supporting table, a presserplate, a cylinder provided with gouges and type arms, means for reciprocating, and means for revolving the cylinder, a main driving-wheel, a clutch, connection between the main driving-wheel and the cylinder-actuating mechanism, and means for automatically disconnecting the clutch, substantially as described.

3. In an indexing-machine, the combination of a cylinder provided with gouges and printing-type, and adapted to both rotate and reciprocate, an ink-pad adapted to contact the printing-type, a book-supporting table, a resser-plate, means for reciprocating the cylinder, and means adapted to rotate the cylinder during one part of its reciprocation, and a locking-pin engaging the cylinder and preventing its rotation during another part of its reciprocation, substantially as described.

4. In an indexing-machine, the combination of a cylinder provided with gouges and printing type, a main driving wheel and shaft, a crank-wheel adapted to reciprocate the said cylinder, a clutch engagement, immediately conneotin g the main driving-wheel and the crank-wheel, means for actuatingsaid clutch to bring it into engagement, means for holding the clutch in engagement, and means for automatically disengaging the clutch, substantially as described.

5. In an indexing-machine in combination with a book-supporting table, a rotating and reciprocating cylinder provided with gouges and printing-arms, means for adjusting the gouges, substantially as described.

. In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

SMITH N. WEBB. WVitnesses:

R. L. P. WALLACE, THEODORE BAUMEIsTER. 

